Hidden Flames
by lyssgarv
Summary: Leave it to a Demon to exploit human weakness. She came for him, slithered her way around his heart and tore him away from friends and family to have him all to herself. It's only after the fact that Rin realizes what he's done and by now, there's no going back. Assiah needs their prince and she needs him. (First fanfic! Will continue if enough interest!)
1. Chapter 1

Looking back, he still can't figure out how this happened to him. A horrible play on his human side that only a demon would exploit. Wrapped in her arms, her warm breath against the side of his neck as she whispered sweet things to him, his mind questioned why he was even questioning what had happened. She was beautiful and everything he'd ever wanted in a mate. She understood him like no one else did and being with her, no one would think differently about him. It was just... what he was supposed to do... right? But there were signs, signs that ate at his inner human side, that reminded him of the real situation he was in. Her tail, much like his own, was wrapped possessively around his thigh and her arms and legs, wrapped around his waist and neck in a tight embrace. Though he may have found himself inadvertently her lover, there were signs that he'd been manipulated into such a position and that the truth of their love affair was nothing more than an extreme possessive behavior. And, there was the biggest elephant in the room, the one he couldn't miss, the fact that he was no longer in Assiah and that he'd traversed the plane between worlds, _willingly_.

She shifted her weight on his lap so her purple eyes were staring uncertainly into his own, a frown on her porcelain face. "Rin, my love. What is wrong?" She moved her one hand down, twining her fingers between his own where they rested against the top of the bed. She brought their entwined hands up to her mouth where she kissed the back of his hand. And there it was, the weight pulling him down and the birth of this weight in his stomach. The black band around his finger that anchored him to Gehenna like a prisoner.

He'd been tricked, manipulated by the woman on his lap. She had lured him from Assiah to Gehenna by her beauty and passion and before the veil had been lifted from his eyes to realize what he had done, he found himself wed to her and next in line for the throne of Gehenna, a true demon prince. What had he done?

He swallowed, forcing a smile onto his face as he turned his sapphire blue eyes towards her. "Nothing's wrong. I was just... thinking."

She smiled at him, leaning in to plant a kiss upon his lips that made Rin feel cold. "We should be celebrating, my love! We are finally free from those exorcists and we can be together like we've always wanted to be! We can do anything we want here!" With a growl, she used the majority of her weight to push him back on the bed and, on instinct, Rin's heart sped up as she loomed above him, blonde hair surrounding their faces like curtains but no matter how his body reacted, he felt sick and cold when she touched him. This wasn't love, this was a lie. She was his prison guard and anything he did against her, would only bring harm to himself. His father had played his cards on getting him here and he'd been shackled by her chains the first time he'd laid eyes on her. No matter how beautiful she was or willing towards him she was, he felt sick being near her.

As she bent and kissed him again, her tail snaking up under his shirt, he closed his eyes as the memory rushed up to him, of the first time Iza had come into his life and tore down all his walls.

-NINE MONTHS EARLIER-

"Rin... Rin! Rin Okumura!" There was a slam against his desk and he jolted upward to sleepily blink into Yukio's glaring blue eyes, wiping the slight drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Now that Rin has decided to join us, I'd like to introduce a new student."

Beside him, Shiemi nudged him with her elbow, looking worried. "You've been sleeping a lot more, Rin." She said. "Is everything okay?"

Of course, in typical Rin fashion, he'd blown off Yukio's homework and had spent most of last week goofing off but it was only a matter of time before Yukio caught him and, the last four nights, he'd spent awake until his homework was finished. A mild punishment, Yukio had put it, which left Rin to find sleep whenever he could, even if that meant in the middle of class.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" he said, throwing on a smile and leaning back in his chair. "You know, hard exorcist training has been keeping me up at all hours. Nothing I can't handle though!"

Shiemi looked awed which only did wonders to boost his own ego, even if it had been a lie. He turned his attention back towards the front of the class where Yukio was turning towards a girl as she entered the room.

At first sight, the new girl was like an angel, long blonde hair that curled on the ends and sparkling amethyst eyes. Her skin was the color of porcelain and even the slight reddening of her cheeks was enough to make her entire appearance appear demure and adorable. Immediately-whether he realized it or not-Rin sat higher in his seat, a grin spreading across his face. It wasn't often there were girls in the exorcist classes, let alone pretty ones.

"This is Iza Sekai and as of today, she'll be your new classmate." Yukio turned to her with a smile and waved to the near empty classroom. "Take your pick of the seats. It's not a really big class but we're grateful to have you."

She smiled appreciatively at him and moved quietly down the short dais to the seats where she walked past Rin and slid into the seat behind him. Rin couldn't help but turn his nose towards her scent as she past, finding that the smell itself seemed to jumble his mind and had him turning in his seat to look at her. It made his heart pound and the temperature in the room to skyrocket. He grinned like an idiot at her as he held out a hand towards her.

She grinned shyly back at him but took his hand very gently.

"I'm Rin!" he said. "Rin Okumura, the best student in here-"

"-oh please! Everyone here knows you're the one bringing this class down!" From across the room, Ryuji glared at Rin from his seat.

Iza looked back and forth between them but smiled at Rin nonetheless and even giggled. "It's nice to meet you, Rin. Maybe someday, if I need help, you can tutor me?"

Ryuji snorted in disbelief but Rin's smile widened even further and turned back around as Yukio started class.

Beside him, Shiemi frowned, giving Iza an odd look before looking back at Rin worriedly.

After class, Yukio informed Rin he had a special case he needed to see to before returning to the dorm and advised Rin to get his homework done before he returned. Frustrated, Rin spent the entire walk back to their dorm in an angry rant against his twin. He wasn't a desk student. He learned better in the field and sitting aimlessly for hours on paperwork loaded with information that didn't seem to dwell in the deepest parts of his retainment only pissed Rin off. He shoved open the door of their room and collapsed, backwards, onto his bed, letting his bag fall to his feet. as he stared up at the ceiling. How was he going to be able to defeat Satan by sitting around pushing papers? At this rate, Ryuji was going to beat him to it.

Curling his hands into fists at the thought, he reached for his sword and stood up, ready to leave and find Yukio when there was a soft knock at his door. He froze, hand tightening around his sword. No one visited them here except Mephisto and he didn't knock.

He walked to the door and opened it, surprised to find Iza standing shyly on his doorstep.

"Wha-" he began, surprised at how she knew where he lived.

She lifted a hand and placed it in the middle of his chest, pushing him back into his room as she let herself in. She closed the door with her foot and pushed Rin down into his desk chair. The demure smile she'd held in class was replaced by a real, true smile and her eyes sparkled with excitement. This was certainly a completely different girl than the previous one he'd met and he couldn't help the sudden increase in his heart beat.

"I've been so excited to meet you, Rin Okumura!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together, her purple eyes shining. "There's no one else in the world like us!"

Confused, he opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about when, before his very eyes, a long black tail dropped from beneath her shirt and swayed uncertainly behind her. Rin stared at it, hardly daring to breath. She-she was half demon like he was?

She moved closer to him and Rin forced his eyes upwards to her face, mouth hanging open, unable to find words. Again, she wore a shy expression but her eyes still sparkled with excitement. "I came to True Cross seeking you out. I was hoping you and I could learn to overcome what we truly are and help the exorcists. Mephisto seems to think this is a fascinating idea and told me to tell you that we're supposed to teach other."

Rin didn't care who's idea it was for her to seek him out or what it truly meant. She was standing right before him, someone who could understand him and someone who wouldn't judge. And to make it better, she wanted him to teach her, to be with her, and she was the epitome of beautiful.

"Please, Rin, please say you'll help me! Help us!" she reached her hand out to him, a desperate look on her face and Rin seemed to move on autopilot, grinning up at her as he took her hand. "I'll teach you anything you want to know, Iza!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks for the follows and favs! I was going to wait for a few more of each but I feel obligated to not leave you guys hanging! So here's a nice second chapter to really get you going! Also, please be aware I won't have a set schedule of when new chapters come out. Mostly because I just had a baby and well, all Hell breaks loose after that. But I will keep you guys in my thoughts and will get a third chapter out as soon as I possibly can! Would love some reviews so I know what you guys are thinking and what you want to see happen! I'm always open for some reader made plots! And again, thanks so much for the favs and follows! Hope I don't disappoint!

It took awhile for Rin to actually wake up. His head was fuzzy and his bed warm. When he did, everything from the day before came rushing back to him and he couldn't help the smile that crept across his face. Not only was he no longer alone in this world, a pretty girl actually wanted him to teach her. He wanted to rub it into Yukio's face.

He rolled over and sat up, blinking blearily over at Yukio's bed only to see it was still made and waiting for his return. Rin frowned. That was unlike his twin. Normally, he always came back, even if it was early in the morning and usually only to make sure he got out of bed on time. Rin checked his clock and was surprised he still had time before class began, which was also odd but more than encouraging. He even had time to eat breakfast.

He dressed, brushed his teeth, attempted to straighten his ridiculous hair before heading down to the cafeteria where Ukobach was already hard at work making his lunch box, his breakfast already laid out for him.

"Morning, Ukoback!" Rin greeted the small demon, settling himself down behind his breakfast, practically drooling. "Has Yukio been through this morning?"

The demon joined him on the table, shaking his head and Rin frowned. Well, there was always an explanation for everything. Though it was unlike Yukio to not return after a mission, he was sure there was always reasons it would happen one way or the other. Besides, it wasn't like Yukio couldn't handle himself and, today, he had more important things to worry about than what Yukio was doing.

He finished his breakfast, thanked Ukoback for his breakfast and lunch and headed out onto campus for class. He wasn't one for the high school part of True Cross. Hell, he'd never finished junior high but in order to stay in the Cram school, he had no choice but to attend his classes and at least make an effort to pass. No one from the cram school was in his class so he spent the majority of his day in sheer boredom and loneliness. When he jammed down his lunch in the park square and finished his classes for the day, he hurried off to the cram school with more excitement than usual. After all, there was someone there actually excited to see him.

When he got to the cram school classroom, everything was as it normally was; Bon and Konekomaru were discussing scripture, Shiemi was playing with Nee and, as usual, Izumo, was ignoring everyone as though she was far above everyone. And, in the center row of desks, directly behind his own seat, was Iza, the she demon who wanted him to train her on how to control her powers to become an exorcist. Unaware of the big grin on his face, he moved into the room, completely missing Shiemi's greeting at him.

"Hey, Iza! Did you make it through your first day of classes okay?"

Unlike others he talked to, Iza's grin was wide, excitement beaming from her eyes upon seeing him. "I'm a bit overwhelmed, I'm not going to lie. This place is huge! Sadly, I had to go without lunch today due to lack of funds. Did you know this place is expensive?" she whispered, as though the whole of the class would mock her if they heard.

Rin immediately perked up. "I can make you something! I'm an excellent cook! I make mine and Yukio's lunch everyday!"

"Really?" she gasped. "You'd do that for me?"

"No sweat!" he boasted proudly, his head getting much too large for his shoulders. "I'd hate for you to go hungry! In fact, why don't you stop by my dorm tonight and we can make them together!"

"Rin, you should use tonight to study. We have an exam-" Shiemi started.

But her words were cut off by their first teacher entering the classroom and Rin was forced to turn back around.

"Mephisto, I don't think adding her to the class roster was the right thing to do. I've been digging around and-"

"What utter nonsense, Yukio!" Memphis to said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of tea, eyeing Yukio who stood across the room. "Are you saying I shouldn't have let Rin in either, hmm?"

Yukio's brow furrowed, a look of irritation crossing his face. "You'd know my standing on Rin Okumura and it stands quite well with Miss Sekai. What do we know of her origins? What are her real reasons for being here? I don't trust her."

Mephisto gave a chuckle and stood up from his chair, coming around his desk to stand in front of Yukio. He gently took the young exorcist by the shoulders and smiled. "Why don't you let me worry about who I let into True Cross Academy and you worry about passing your students, hmm?"

Yukio sighed. "True Cross doesn't know she's here, do they?"

Mephisto only smiled, feeding a piece of cracker to a green hamster that sat on his shoulder. "Some things are better left undiscovered. Now run along! I have things to take care of!"

Yukio made his exit and Mephisto frowned, as soon as the door was closed. "What ever is father thinking…"

"Wow! You and your brother share this whole dorm by yourselves?" Iza asked, following Rin into the kitchen where Ukobach glared at her from above his mixing bowl.

Rin grinned. "Yup! And the whole kitchen too! Don't worry about Ukobach here." Rin said, placing a hand on the familiar's head. "He's cool. He sorts of runs the show here so just think of him as the head chef around here."

Ukobach puffed his chest out at the praise and continued mixing whatever he was mixing. Rin grabbed some ingredients from the fridge as Iza hoisted her butt onto the counter, her legs kicking out.

"What kind of things do you put in your lunches?" she asked casually, watching him with a smile on her face.

He moved from the fridge to stand beside her, setting things out as he would need them. "Oh you know just some-" He froze as Iza's finger trailed casually up his forearm, goosebumps popping up along his arm.

Iza moved her face closer towards Rin's, her eyes seeming to draw him in. "Go on…" she murmured.

He sputtered, seemingly unable to find any words. She moved close to him that their lips brushed together but before anything happened, someone cleared their throat and Rin spun around, his face beet red.

"Yu-Yukio! Where have you been?"

But Yukio was looking towards Iza who slid off the table and smiled at him, holding her hand out to him for a shake. "You must be Yukio!" she said. "I've heard a lot about you!"

But Yukio didn't take her hand. Instead, his face remained expressionless as he said, "I would be spending this time studying for your exam tomorrow. If you don't mind, I need to make sure Rin studies as well. I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Sekai." Dismissing her.

Iza looked slightly taken aback but she smiled at Yukio none the less. She turned towards Rin. "Thanks for having me over Rin! I'll look forward to that lunch tomorrow!" With a small wave, she left the kitchen.

"What the Hell, Yukio!" Rin snarled, grabbing his twin by the front of his jacket. "She wasn't hurting anything by being here! You can't make everyone study!"

Yukio, surprisingly, kept his cool. "Finish up here then come back to the dorm to study. Do I need to remind you that you're still an ex-wire?"

Yukio shoved Rin off of him and left the kitchen. Rin remained where he was for a few moments longer, letting his wild emotions settle down. What had just happened between him and Iza? His face flushed at the thought. Whatever it was, it pissed him off that Yukio would come between them. What did Yukio have against her?


	3. Chapter 3

((I want to thank you all for the favs, follows and the review! Here's a long awaited chapter 3 with a little tease for you all! I hope you enjoy!))

Saturday and that meant a day off from school, no matter what Yukio said. At 2 am, he'd received a text from Iza asking him to join her in a small side mission she'd been giving. He'd glanced up at Yukio's sleeping form across the room and agreed. In the morning, he let Yukio believe he would spend his day doing homework and studying but, as soon as Yukio left, Rin grabbed his sword and was out the door. The meeting place was the same stretch of woods that he and his classmates had spent their summer camp and securing their spots as ex-wires and where he'd been found out as being the son of satan. Now, however, there were no signs of that battle or anyone else for that matter. He found Iza sprawled out in the grass, tail sweeping lazily through the grass and blonde hair dancing gently around her face in the gentle breeze. For a moment, all Rin could do was stare at her, entranced by her. How could Yukio frown at her? She looked completely innocent with a smile on her face and her eyes dancing with excitement. As soon as she saw him, however, she was on her feet and rushing over to him.

"Rin!" she called out, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the trees. "I'm so happy you came! You're the only one who can help me!"

He grinned at her, stumbling along as she pulled him along. "No problem! Not like I had anything else to do!"

Her smile grew wider and more radiant as she led him down a path to an abandoned shrine, a tree growing out of the roof and a pile of leaves gathering on the porch. Rin frowned at the disrepair as the gentle sound of chimes met his ears. Iza bounced happily onto the porch and clapped her hands together as she made a prayer.

"What's this place?" Rin asked her, taking a much more tentative approach to the shrine.

She smiled at him, using a finger to absently push the chimes together till they made their gentle noise. "It's a demon shrine." she said, her eyes watching him mysteriously. "Someone created it long ago to worship Satan. Apparently it's been forgotten and I've been instructed to get rid of it."

Rin felt cold, a strange slithering feeling tickling his spine. Suddenly, the small area felt very malicious, the shadows darker and the wind seemed to whisper to him. He found himself taking a step backwards, giving the shrine a completely new outlook. And then he remembered Iza and her prayer.

"Why did you pray at it then?"

Here, she stepped down off the porch and approached him. Rin felt a rush when she was close to him, his heart speeding up, as though he was being approached by static electricity. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, gently pulling forth his tail. The hairs on the back of his arms and neck stood up at the sensual touch on his tail and he bit the inside of his cheek to making any sort of embarrassing sound.

"Are we not demons?" she asked him, curiously, twining his tail between her fingers like she was holding a snake. She walked around behind him this way and, when she reappeared on his other side, she let go of his tail, giving him a flirty and mysterious look as she walked back up to the shrine. "Can't we wish for our own well being?"

He supposed she had a point. Still, he didn't pray but, instead, followed her inside. The main room of the shrine was a simple wood structure with a dirt floor. A small offering table sat dusty across the room and the whole area smelled of dirt and decay. Rin half wondered if the shrine had been dedicated to Amaimon before Iza stole his attention again. From her palm, she produced a small purple flame, much the same as his own, as she turned to face him, her eyes gleaming like amethysts as they reflected her flame.

"I don't have that great of control over my fire yet. I assume that's why I was giving this mission but I'd hate to burn down the whole forest."

Rin knew all about that. A few years ago, he'd almost done that to this same forest when he'd battled Amaimon. However, with help from shura, he'd gained control of them. He finally smiled at the opportunity to help her. From his palm, he produced his own flame.

"These are my flames. Given to me when I was created. No one else has control of them but me; they obey me and me only. If you can remember that, they will obey you and you'll be able to control them."

She'd extinguished her own flame and approached his, eyes wide as her fingers brushed the air surrounding his flame. "It's beautiful…" she whispered. "It's just like his."

His head snapped up to look at her but before he could question her further about Satan, she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, pushed herself against him and pressed her lips against his.

Immediately, he forgot everything, his own body responding automatically as he extinguished his flame and wrapped his own arms around her waist, keeping her against him as he met her kiss with his own. He quickly realized, however, that he was not in control of this situation and the rising heat in his body told him that he didn't care. She backed him up against the wall, hitting his back pretty hard against the old wood and opened his mouth to gasp out when she took advantage of the opening and snaked her tongue into his mouth. He was all consumed by her; her taste, her smell and the way she felt in his arms. He completely forgot where they were and why they were there. Her fingers slid through his hair, easily coaxing a moan of pleasure to escape his chest. He never wanted it to end. He wanted to stay here, with her, without anyone telling him he couldn't be.

However, his bliss was short lived as she detached her lips from his, her amethyst eyes mischievous and her small more of a smirk. If he had been in the right state of mind at the time, he would have compared her look to a cat who had successfully taken down her prey. But at the moment, Rin only smiled stupidly back at her as he reached for her when she moved away from him. From the center of the room, she produced a flame in each palm and expertly lit the small shrine on fire. Rin moved away from the wall as the demon fire ate away at the ancient wood like it was starved. Iza laughed gleefully, snatched his hand and yanked him out of the shrine after her. From the lawn before it, they watched the small structure become engulfed in flames. Rin was impressed. He turned to look at her. "I thought you said you didn't have that great control of your flames?" he asked her.

Beside him, Iza was watching the flames, her hands clasped behind her back as she smiled. Slowly, she turned to look at him, her eyes glittering. "I guess what you told me really sunk in." she said. "Thanks for helping me, Rin!" Immediately, her attitude changed, returning once more to the bubbly girl he'd first met. "You're such a good teacher! I learned that really quick."

Rin's mind was still all flustered and his body still burning and he happily grinned back at her. "No problem! A lot of things I had to learn on my own so I'll be here to help you with anything you need!"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, tail lashing gently behind her. "Well, there is one thing. You did promise me a lunch today." she pouted.

Shit! He had forgotten the lunch he'd made her! He ran a hand through his hair as he let out a nervous chuckle. "I guess I was so excited about coming to meet you today that I'd forgotten to grab them."

She took his hand in own. "Then let's go get them! Come on! Your brother is probably already awake and gone and we'll be the only ones in the dorm!"

Rin felt a strange sensation in his lower abdomen, one of a dark pleasure he'd felt the first time she'd kissed him and when she'd wrapped herself against him in the shrine. But he felt a little nervous about the idea. What if Yukio did find them together? Their last meeting hadn't gotten very well as it was and he already felt like he was on a rocky road when it came to his relationship with Yukio. He felt alienated and out of the loop, like Yukio knew more than he did. Of course, it was quite possible that he did, considering he was a teacher at the Cram School and a higher ranking exorcist but Rin couldn't possibly see anything wrong with Iza that would require Yukio's dislike.

Now she was pouting as she moved closer to him, sliding her arms around his waist and breathing lightly against his ear as she spoke. "Come on, Rin. You can show me some new things…"

He felt a pleasurable tingle run down his spine and he grinned at her. "I'm sure there are some things I could show you!" he said. "Plus, I'd hate to have the lunches I made go to waste!"

She clapped her hands together excitedly and together, they headed back to Rin's dorm. As Iza had said, the dorm was empty, Yukio still out. They headed into the cafeteria and Rin set them out their lunches which they enjoyed while they laughed and gossiped over their classmates. Turned out Iza spent most of her silence in class simply observing the others and had a lot to talk about. Rin soaked it all up like a sponge, preparing the information to use as blackmail at a later date.

When they were finished, they headed back to his room where Kuro greeted them enthusiastically before doing the gentlemanly thing and leaving the room. Iza promptly seated herself on the edge of Rin's bed and smiled at him, her tail swaying back and forth gently.

"So this is your room." she mused, looking from Rin's unkempt bed to Yukio's perfectly neat bed. "I've never been in a teacher's room before."

Rin went to his desk where he pulled out three candles and set them down in the middle of the floor. Iza slid off the bed and crawled over towards Rin, fascinated by them. "What's this?" she asked curiously.

Rin sat on the floor opposite her, a smirk crossing his lips. "This is how I trained to control my flames." he told her. "I figured I could do the same thing with you! Now, it might take you awhile but, I want you to try and light each candle, one at a ti-"

The moment her butt hit the floor, each candle lit one by one, a gleeful look on her face.

Rin stared at her in surprise. "How-"

She leaned over the candles, tail happily swaying back and forth like a dogs. "What's next?"

A spark of jealousy. Rin looked back down at the candles. It had taken him weeks to perform what she had just done in seconds. Did she really need his help or was she just trying to get his attention?

Beneath her, the purple flames went out and she was crawling closer to him, biting her bottom lip till their lips were inches apart, Rin leaned back, using his arms to prop himself up, a brush of redness crossing his cheeks.

"You want to set out more candles? I can light those too. You know, set the mood a little." She moved the last few inches and crushed her own lips against his.

Rin lost his ability to hold himself up and the two crumbled into a heap on the floor.

Yukio sighed as he tossed the folder onto his desk and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses. This was becoming a lot harder than it was supposed to be. He just wanted to find some information on Iza without having to become a detective. Mephisto's organization was ridiculous but this was something else altogether. There was literally nothing on the girl worth reading. It was almost like her documents had been fake. Not to mention, no one at True Cross had even heard of her. Weren't demons, even half demons, supposed to be heavily monitored? Only a few years ago, they had been willing to kill Rin just because he was the son of satan.

There was a knock on his door and a small blonde head appeared.

"Shiemi!" Yukio said, surprised, quickly standing up.

Shiemi inched into the room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes on the floor. Yukio had to admit, he certainly liked Shiemi wearing the school uniform better but he quickly flushed the thought from his head. Now wasn't the time.

"Is something wrong, Shiemi?" he asked her, coming around the side of his desk to stand before her.

She rubbed her arm nervously, looking at everything but Yukio. "N-no, I mean, yes! Um…" she trailed off and Yukio anxiously waited for her to finish.

Finally, "There-there's something weird about Iza a-and I'm not sure how to explain how I know I just… get this weird feeling."

Yukio frowned. That was no surprise. Shiemi was very clairvoyant and could no doubt sense the demon energy inside some people. He sighed and put his hands on Shiemi's shoulders who squeaked a bit at the touch.

"Do me a favor, Shiemi?" he asked her. "Keep an eye on Rin for me? Don't worry about Iza, okay?"

Shiemi nodded, looking a little crestfallen. Yukio, realizing how he must sound to her, spoke up. "I feel the same way, Shiemi but I don't want you to have to get involved, alright? For now, just keep an eye on Rin and let me know if he starts acting strange."

Shiemi looked up at Yukio with wide eyes. "You mean, there is something wrong with Iza?"

Yukio shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just don't want him forgetting about his studies."

Shiemi looked a little more relieved and finally managed a smile at Yukio. "Alright, Yuki. You can count on me!"

She scurried from his office as Yukio's smile turned into a frown. He knew he wasn't going to be able to keep Rin from Iza but he could at least try and keep his older brother in line while he figured out what she was doing here.


	4. Chapter 4

(Hello my fellow readers! So sorry for the long wait time in between! As much as I love my fanfictions and my writing, sadly, real life must come first! I recently wrote and published my very own book so that had me on hiatus from here for awhile! If you'd like to know the name of it and where to find it, let me know! Anyway, here's the latest Chapter! I considered not writing this chapter only because it took away from the suspense but I wanted you to also get a look at what's going on now, versus what happened before. Two stories in one, so to speak. I hope this chapter is alright! Let me know in the reviews if it sucked and you never want me to veer from the main story line again! Anyway, I'll let you continue on! Thanks again for your continued interest!)

PRESENT

Unfortunately, it was the lack of warmth that woke him up. He hated to admit it but he'd grown used to the feeling of Iza sleeping beside him. The fire in the hearth had gone out sometime during the night which left the room frigid, a layer of thick ice on the windows. Rin shivered and got out of bed. He found his clothes Iza had taken off of him that night and quickly pulled them on. Just like in Assiah, Gehenna also had it's fair share of seasons, just much harsher. Winter in Gehenna was brutal and being caught outside the protection of Satan's fortress would spell death for any demon. As much as he wanted out of this life, to erase the guilt he had about betraying his friends and Yukio, he wasn't ready to end his life. For now, his return to Assiah would have to wait until the weather returned to a temperature that wouldn't kill in an instant.

He left his bedroom soon afterwards, the door closing with a loud bang behind him. Satan's fortress was so large that everything echoed. Even the smallest of sounds sounded like a herd of elephants. Unfortunately for RIn, his departure hadn't gone unnoticed. Across the hall, standing like a statue, was his every present guard. When he'd first come to Gehenna, he hadn't needed a guard. He'd been free to roam wherever he pleased. However, he'd still been under Iza's spell. It wasn't until after the wedding and the celebrations, when the shock of seeing _her_ , that everything melted away and he realized the significance of what he'd done. It was at that point that he was appointed a guard. Once, he'd tried to slip his guard, even fight him off when he found him and he immediately regretted his decision. This demon hadn't been appointed his guard for no reason. He was incredibly strong and hadn't even blinked an eye when he'd broken his leg, hauling him back before Satan and unceremoniously dumping him at his father's feet like a common thief. He'd healed within days thanks to his demonic blood but that didn't mean it hadn't hurt in the meantime. He'd been stripped of his freedom from that point on and was only allowed in certain parts of the fortress, so long as he had his guard with him.

Rin glared at the stoic figure on the opposite wall. "I don't suppose you're here to tell me you're taking a long overdue vacation today?"

The guard remained silent, glaring with such hatred back at Rin that Rin was forced to look away. He knew his presence here in Gehenna was not accepted by many of the population. After all, he'd been born in Assiah and had human blood running through his veins. Not to mention, his obvious hatred for the world, and people, around him.

Rin ' _tsked'_ before heading down the corridor. He no longer cared where Iza went before he woke up. As long as she wasn't around him, he didn't mind. Gave him more time to figure out what he was going to do about getting back to Assiah. Whenever he was around her, she still managed to spin that web of spells that kept him enamored with her. It made it harder for him to think and to act on his own. She'd been so sweet, so innocent, at True Cross and now, he thought of her as nothing more than a snake; one that had succeeded in wrapping herself around him and squeezing tightly till he could no longer escape.

He let out a sigh as he turned down yet another corridor and pushed open the doors of the massive dining room. Once used in the celebration of his marriage to Iza and his accepting of his place as prince of Gehenna, it double as a dining room with a table that could easily seat a hundred or more guests. A large floor to ceiling fireplace sat against an opposite wall and a massive blue flame made an eerie glow around the already dark interior. As per usual, there was a place set for him at the table but today, he wasn't alone. She was sitting at the head of the table, completely at home and waving him over.

He sighed before walking over towards her, slumping down into the chair directly beside hers and wincing at her radiant smile.

"Rin! I'm so glad I finally get to have breakfast with you! We haven't spent much quality time together!"

Once, Yukio had seen what their mother had looked like but had never told Rin. For eighteen years, he'd spent every mother's day simply imagining what his mother could have looked like. When he found out she was dead, he knew the chances of ever knowing was forever lost to him; until he came to Gehenna. It wasn't clear how his mother managed to find eternity here but it really came as no surprise. After all, she was Satan's wife, his Queen. She had the secrets of Assiah no one else had and was more than willing to tell her husband. Their goal of joining Assiah and Gehenna was still in full swing. Though, she much desired to have both her sons at her side, she was more than happy to mother Rin as much as she liked. And, surprisingly, Rin let her. Eighteen years he went without a mother, or a mother figure, and she was the only one in the fortress that showed him any kindness. She was the one person in here he didn't hate.

"Morning, Mom…" he murmured, shying away as she attempted to straighten his hair.

She ' _tsked_ ' at him, giving him what he'd already dubbed the "mom look" as she gave up with his hair. "As a Prince, you should at least _try_ and looked presentable!" she said, patting his hand as she dug into her own plate of food. "After all, you have to set an example as your father's son."

He bit his own tongue from the angry retort he was about to fling at her. He kept his hatred for his father and Iza away from his mother. The time he spent with her, he wanted to actually _spend_ with her instead of ruining the mood with his venting. Besides, trying to explain to her that he, in no way, wanted to be here was about as good as explaining to a rock that it was pointless for it to be heavy.

The ate in peace for a few moments, the only interruption of their silence being the crackling of the fire and the occasion ' _tink'_ of their silverware. Finally, after an awkward twenty minutes, Yuri spoke up once more.

"Your father and I have something for you to do."

He glanced over at her, her blue eyes like hard sapphires as she watched him. He didn't like the shudder that went up his spine at her look. That "something", wasn't going to be good, he already knew.

"You might be excited to know that you'll be going back to Assiah to do it."

He froze mid bite, the food falling from his fork and onto his plate. Yuri continued to watch him, an unnerving feeling like she was testing him. He didn't dare move or say anything but his heart was hammering away in his chest.

"It's come to our attention," Yuri spoke quietly, eyes never wavering. "That the power you possess is only half of what you could have and, in order to get the full might of your power, we need your brother." She paused a moment, watching him but Rin couldn't even breath now. "You're going back to Assiah and you're going to bring your brother back with you. Oh and, if you try to flee, Satan has promised to lock you in the deepest and darkest dungeon in Gehenna and forget about you."

Rin felt the weight of Satan's threat crash over him like an avalanche. He had no doubt that the King of Gehenna would do such a thing. The demon had no humanity. He didn't care who he hurt in order to get what he wanted. In fact, it was plain even to Rin that Satan was only using Yuri because of their shared ideals, even if his meant destruction and hers, peace. But Yuri, being human, was blind to such evils and believed Satan also only wanted peace; and to have her sons reunited to her once more. But if Satan was the one who wanted Yukio here, it certainly wasn't because he was feeling fatherly.

Rin carefully laid his fork down, choosing his next words _very_ carefully. "How do you suppose I convince my exorcist brother to come to the one place he'd rather die before coming here?"

Yuri shrugged, going back to her food. "I suppose that'll be for you to find out, now won't it?"

He narrowed his eyes at his mother as she munched away her food like this was everyday life for her. The problem wasn't going to be how to get Yukio here-because that wasn't going to happen-it was how he was going to lose his leash to Gehenna and disappear. Every demon at Satan's disposal would be after him and he'd have nowhere to hide.

"Riiiiiiinnnnnnn!" The call echoed across the dining room from the main doors and Rin groaned, shutting his eyes tightly, hoping that that would be enough to get her to leave. But Iza strode across the room like nothing was wrong and grabbed his arm, pulling him from his chair.

"There's something I want to show you, Rin!" she said happily, completely ignoring Yuri who smiled at her.

Rin sputtered, pointing to his food but Iza ignored the hint and tugged on his arm, pulling him away from the table and his barely eaten breakfast.

His guard followed a few steps behind them as though not wanting to get in Iza's way but kept his eyes firmly on Rin. Satan's fortress was dizzyingly confusing with all it's twists and turns, staircases that spiraled and mazes of corridors and rooms. Iza, however, traversed the confusing layouts as though she'd been born here and, for all Rin knew, maybe she had. She had never really talked about herself before.

Being the mirror image of Assiah, Gehenna wasn't without it's own faults. The biggest, and most important fault the dimension had was the destruction. Everything in the world was destroyed in one way or another and thick clouds of miasma coated everything, even the sun, forcing the lands and everyone in it to appear red. It was a ruined world, one of disease and chaos and destruction. When Yuri appeared, Satan created her a garden that mirrored those in Assiah; the only green in this world. Rin had only ever been by it once, when he first got here and that had been the first time he'd laid eyes on Yuri. Now, Iza was leading him through the glass doors into the garden, a large smile on her face as she went. Rin couldn't deny his sudden feeling of comfort at being around things that reminded him of home. He could understand why Yuri spent her every days here.

"Iza, where are you taking me?"

They mazed through the endless rows of colorful flowers and Rin was even sure he'd spotted a butterfly bush, complete with multicolored butterflies resting on the flowers before he was rushed past, Iza only giving him a smile in response to his question.

Finally, they turned the last corner and Rin with Iza. She was staring ahead at a distortion that seemed to hang in the middle of thin air. He looked at it with confusion as Iza walked up to it.

"I found this this morning and just knew I had to show it to you." She ran her hands over it and the distortion seemed to ripple like waves on water and it expanded, opening up to bright lights and colors. For a moment, the sudden influx made him shield his eyes-having spent too long in the always dark-Gehenna but when he grew used to the brightness, he blinked at the distortion and gasped.

Like looking through glass, Rin was looking down at True Cross Academy. Life was progressing as normal and, when Iza ran her fingers over it again, the distortion rippled and they were zeroed in on the Cram school classroom, each one of his friends sitting where they always did and there, at the head of the class.

"Yukio…" Rin whispered, taking a step forward.

Iza slid in between Rin and the distortion, a coy smile on her face. "It's called a rip and they are really rare between dimensions. I don't know how it got here but I figured it would be useful."

With the image of his friends covered, Rin was forced to turn his eyes from them to Iza's mysterious amethyst eyes. "What do you want from me for showing me this?"

Iza smirked. A much darker version of Iza then he'd met at True Cross. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him, her tail coiling around his leg. "We all know you don't want to be here. Even Satan knows. You aren't fooling anyone. If given the chance, you'd be back to Assiah in a moments notice. I tricked you here and, let's be honest, it's because I'm selfish. But I'm not heartless, Rin. I can tell when you're unhappy and pains me to think you don't want to be here with me anymore." she leaned closer, her eyes fluttering as her lips brushed his. "If I let you go," she whispered. "You have to promise to return to me in a week. Do whatever you want in that week but at the end, you return to me here, in Gehenna. Do we have a deal?"

Rin didn't even bother with thinking about it. He accepted her deal with a kiss, crashing his lips into hers, hands on either side of her head as he put all this thanks into that one kiss. But, before it got any more serious, he stepped around her and leapt from the rip before she could stop him.


End file.
